Manchester: South Sydney owner Russell Crowe has handed George Burgess a cameo role in his latest film alongside Hollywood megastar Liam Hemsworth.
The off-contract NRL forward is on the Gold Coast with both Luke and Liam Hemsworth shooting Land of Bad, which is due to hit cinema screens in 2023.
George Burgess dressed up for his role as Private Cooper in the film.
Burgess plays Private Cooper in the military film being shot in Queensland and was invited to be part of the film by Crowe – the family’s long-time friend.
Crowe and the Burgess’ have a very close relationship developed over a decade from when the Burgess brothers joined South Sydney from the Super League.
George’s brother Sam was recently spotted alongside Crowe in Rome for the filming of The Pope’s Exorcist, in which Crowe plays Father Gabriele Amorth.
Land of Bad, in which George features, focuses on a Delta Force team on a mission in the Philippines who are trapped without weapons.
George Burgess has taken a keen interest in action. He most recently made an appearance on the silver screen in local film Christmess, where he had a cameo role as a doorman at the Beer Shed.
Burgess was recently released by his NRL club St George Illawarra despite having a year still to run on his contract with the joint venture club. He is in conversations to play with Thirroul Butchers in the Illawarra Rugby League in 2023.
George was on the verge of retirement after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery following his stint with Super League club Wigan in 2021.
Dragons coach Anthony Griffin handed him a lifeline but the hulking prop struggled to fit in. He recently told The Daily Telegraph he didn’t like the coach.
George Burgess during his time at the Dragons.Credit:NRL Photos
“I just didn’t get along with Hook and he made it pretty clear to me, he pretty much wrote me off,” George said.
“So I wasn’t too keen to go back to train under him to be honest. At the end of the day all you want is a coach to believe in you. There is no point me going back there if the coach doesn’t believe in me.”
George’s brother Tom is in Britain with the English team as they prepare for their Rugby League World Cup semi-final against Samoa at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Burgess has been one of England’s best this tournament, scoring four tries in the team’s campaign.
“Four in four games but I am not really counting,” he joked. “I might get thrown out of the front rower’s union if I score again this weekend.”
England humiliated Tonga in the opening match of the World Cup, racking up a 60-6 victory to send a warning sign to their rivals.
But England knows that Samoa had a number of Penrith players in their team who only arrived in the country a few days before the game following a week of premiership celebrations.
“They definitely had a few players in that grand final … and I think they had one session before that game,” Tom said. “We know they are going to be a better side coming out on Saturday for sure.”
The Samoans will be buoyed by the inclusion of skipper and prop Junior Paulo, who successfully fought a one-game ban at the World Cup judiciary for dangerous contact with Tonga’s David Fifita.
Tom said he was glad that Paulo will be allowed to play. “He is their captain, he is the captain for a reason,” Tom said.
“He is very important to their team, he plays big minutes, he is a great player. He led Parramatta to a grand final this season. He is massive for them. For me, I didn’t really see the incident but just let him play.”
